Carico’s founder’s father served as translator for Sir Andrew Benjamin Cohen, Governor of Uganda (1952–1957), during discussions with farmers to establish coffee cooperatives in Bugisu. This achievement earned him a scholarship to study in the United States.

In a photograph from this period, the founder’s father appears with other students who had recently returned from studying abroad, alongside Sir Andrew Cohen. He joined the Coffee Marketing Board as a junior employee and rose to become Chief Accountant five years later.

During a visit to his ancestral home, Mwambu, whose father and relatives had been educated through coffee, saw abject poverty return. He asked himself, “Does it have to be like this?”

After visiting his father’s primary school and seeing the leavers’ results, he posed a second question: “What can I do?” The answer led to the founding of Carico Coffee.

On January 23rd, Carico was featured by Reuters News for pioneering the use of blockchain technology, then mostly known for Bitcoin, to trace coffee back to the farm level.

The goal was to increase visibility of origin, helping farmers earn more. It created a circular, sustainable connection between the beginning and end of the value chain.

On April 21st, World Earth Day, Carico launched its tree-planting initiative, Project Caldera.

After consulting with the National Coffee Research Institute and the National Forestry Authority, three indigenous agroforestry tree species had been recommended and now after nurturing seedlings for two years they were ready.

12,000 trees were planted on the neediest smallholdings at 1700–2220 metres altitude.

Continuing the search for new ways to add value at origin, Carico set up manufacturing in Uganda to produce fully home-compostable coffee capsules. These were launched in local supermarkets.

In 2023, we doubled down on quality from the roots up. Our farm-profiling project expanded and demand for field visits grew. We reviewed and improved every step of the chain. We sought partners. We invested in training.

Carico’s Bugisu Peaberry received a Gold Star from the Great Taste Awards in the United Kingdom—the world’s largest food and drink awards, judged by a panel of 500 experts. A remarkable achievement for coffee grown and roasted in Uganda.

More trees. More coffee. More farmers. EUDR compliance. Work in progress—our journey continues.